Lincecum will plead guilty to lesser charge

GIANTS

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, November 7, 2009

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum has agreed to plead guilty to one charge related to his possession of a marijuana pipe in return for his drug charge being dropped, in a plea agreement that still must be approved by a judge in Clark County, Wash.

Prosecuting attorney Grant Hansen said Friday that Lincecum's lawyer has signed off on the deal, which requires the 2008 Cy Young Award winner to pay $372 in fines. The judge could accept the deal with a signature but could also order Lincecum to appear in court at a hearing scheduled for Dec. 22.

Hansen said Lincecum's celebrity had nothing to do with this disposition, which is standard for a first-time offender for misdemeanor pot possession who cooperates with police.

"Any Joe Blow would get" this deal, Hansen said. "The way we see it, we can do something to him or we can do something for him. If we can give him a little leniency the first time, in my opinion, it goes further for being law-compliant in the future than if we kick him in the teeth."

Hansen said typically there are 15 to 20 similar cases in his county each week, mostly young people from the area, and all are treated this way. The drug charges are dropped for cooperating, so first-time offenders do not have to carry that stigma or serve a mandatory minimum of one day in jail for conviction of misdemeanor drug possession.

Lincecum was cited by the Washington State Patrol for possessing 3.3 grams of marijuana and the pipe, both misdemeanors, during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near the Oregon border one week ago.

Technically, Lincecum agreed to plead guilty to a charge of buying or selling drug paraphernalia, which drops the crime to an infraction, in return for the drug-possession charge being dropped.

Lincecum has agreed to pay a $250 fine for the pipe charge and another $122 for speeding. He was clocked going 74 mph in a 60-mph zone. One of the two patrolmen who encountered Lincecum knew who he was, the other did not.

The Giants have not issued a statement. Team officials want to wait until the case is adjudicated before addressing the issue publicly. Lincecum faces no punishment from Major League Baseball but could be steered toward a diversion program.

Calls seeking comment from Lincecum, his agent and his lawyer in Washington have not been returned.